The Hunt
by DragonLady37
Summary: "Is it because you're still in love with Weasley?" His voice was so quiet, she barely heard him. "I understand if you are." He gently tightened his grip on her. "It's been you and him since forever. If I'm being honest, when it comes to you, I'll take whatever I can get. Whatever you can give me. I just need to know what that is." / Dramione, horcrux hunt, slight AU


_Previously "Snippets" Chapter 5, here's a little Horcrux hunt AU for you! I've taken a lot of liberties here, so bear with me._

_Dramione (obviously). Super-duper fluffy (as per usual)._

_JK Rowling is my queen. She's a just and fair ruler for letting plebians like myself borrow her characters._

* * *

"Who's doing what this evening?" Hermione's arms were wrapped around her middle as their small group stood in their magically enlarged tent, cold and tired. They'd been on the run for so many weeks, she the evenings were blurring together. Normally, she was on top of things, making sure each of the six of them knew who was doing what and when, but lately she'd had other things on her mind. Like the heavy weight of the gaze against her back - the one set of eyes she was determined not to meet.

"You were on watch last night," Harry said, scrubbing his face with his palm. "I think. So, it's my night to get supplies, and Ron, you're on watch."

"Oh, goody," said Pansy Parkinson, rolling her eyes. Ron glared up at the tent's ceiling.

"You had last night to rest," Theo said from where he was sitting off to the side. "Potter and I stayed watch, remember?"

"Yes, yes. I know." She sighed and ran her fingers through her dark, shoulder-length hair. "Watch is just my least favorite." She sighed again, and Hermione was struck by how much Pansy had changed since she joined with them. Then again, they'd all changed since they set off on this hopeless-feeling quest.

"We'll bring you back something sweet," Harry said, stretching and looking to Theo. "Ready?"

Theo stood and shoved his hands into his pockets with a sigh. "As always."

Hermione hugged Harry, hating how thin he felt. How thin they were all getting. "Be safe."

"Constant vigilance," he said, and she smiled into his shoulder.

"Watch each other's backs," Hermione said, turning and hugging Theo as well. She always hugged the others before they left, just in case something were to happen.

"Always do," Theo said, giving her a light squeeze. "Don't wait up." He winked at them and followed Harry out of the tent and into the cold night air.

Beside the tent flap-turned-door, Ron slipped an extra jumper on over his long-sleeved shirt. Beside him, Pansy tugged at her sleeves, arms crossed over her middle. They hadn't had time to grab many extra supplies when they left, and their clothes were being worn ragged.

"Here," Hermione said, peeling off her soft, gray jumper and handing it to Pansy. "I'll have a blanket in here, but it'll get cold out there."

"Thank you," Pansy almost whispered as she slipped the jumper on. Pansy gave Hermione a tight-lipped smile. "Get some rest." With a quick, indecipherable look to the sixth member of their party, Pansy darted out, followed by a sighing Ron.

The silence in the tent after their departure was thick, and after a long, quiet moment, Hermione turned to face Draco, who was still watching her. He was standing near the back wall of the tent, arms folded over his chest, a slight scowl on his face.

"We should get some sleep," she said, hating that her voice was so quiet.

He nodded and pressed his lips together.

"Are you - " she stopped and wrung her hands in front of her, feeling so tense and worried she could hardly stand it. "Where are you going to sleep?"

He stared at her for a long moment before he sighed. His arms fell to his sides. "Let's just go to bed, Granger," he said, walking to the nearest cot and sitting. He kicked his shoes off and scooted between the cot and the threadbare blanket.

She waited only a moment before she crossed the space, passing the other cots that lay empty, ad sat on the edge of the cot where Draco lay. With her wand, she cast - _Nox -_ and the light in the tent was gone. Slowly, she slipped beneath the blanket and lay on her side, facing away from him, wondering if she should have gone to the other cot instead. She would end up there anyway, as one of them always moved before any of the others returned, and she wasn't sure he'd forgiven her enough to want to be close to her yet.

After a series of heavy heartbeats, she felt his arms slip around her waist, and he pulled her against his chest. Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and gripped his forearms tightly. The length of his body pressed against her, his heat seeping into her skin, and she closed her eyes against the tears that were suddenly seeping from the corners of her eyes.

His warm lips pressed against the cool skin on the back of her neck, and she shivered, holding on even tighter.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, curling around his arms.

"It's fine," he said, kissing her neck again and running his nose along the smooth skin. "Really." She felt his breath fan across her neck. "I understand."

"No." She rolled so that she was facing him, her hands pressed against his chest. He never let her away from the cage of his arms. The light was dim, but the moonlight slipping through the tent flap was enough that she could see his eyes. "It's not fine."

"Granger - " he growled.

She stopped him with her lips, pressing them firmly to his, and she felt him sigh.

"I panicked," she said, her lips barely touching his with each word. "I don't know why." She kissed him again as his hands gently massaged her lower back. "But I'm sorry."

Draco pressed his lips against her forehead. She could feel his heart beating rapidly, unsteadily, against her chest.

"Is it because you're still in love with him?" he asked, his breath ghosting over her forehead like a gasp. He hadn't asked that question in months. Not since they left on this bloody hunt and the group had been separated, throwing Hermione into a panic. That time, she'd understood why he'd been worried. She'd overreacted to their absence, but this time, she was shocked.

"What?" She leaned back so she could look at him.

"Is it because you're still in love with Weasley?" His voice was so quiet, she barely heard him. He looked down at her in the dark, his whispered words pleading. "I understand if you are." He gently tightened his grip on her. "Especially with how things are right now. With everything being so, so unsure all the time." He sighed. "It's been you and him since forever. And if I'm here because you need comfort, and to be touched, I can give you that. If I'm being honest, when it comes to you, I'll take whatever I can get. Whatever you can give me. I just need to _know _what that is." His voice was low, and his hands on her were gentle, and she knew that he wasn't mad at her.

With his declaration, she felt something in her chest shatter.

"No," she said, slipping her hands to either side of his face, feeling the soft, pale stubble there. "No, Draco. I'm not still in love with him." Her thumbs gently stroked his cheeks. "I've not been in love with him for a very long time."

He stared down at her for a long moment, his face a mask, as if he might not believe her.

She scooted up and pressed her nose to his, her hands still on either side of his face. "I'm sorry I ever made you think that I might be." She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry." She kissed the corner of his mouth.

He pressed his forehead against hers. His hands trailed up her sides and curled around her shoulders, and when he spoke again, his voice was soft and sad. "Then, why?" He swallowed. "Why didn't you tell them? We talked about it, and you said you wanted to - "

"I was afraid," she inserted into the space between them.

"Of what they'll say about us?" he asked, his hands clenching her shoulders tightly for a moment.

"No," she said softly, closing her eyes. She kept stroking his cheeks, thinking over how to explain.

The week before, they'd had a long, serious talk about this. They'd agreed it was time to tell the rest of them, time to stop trying to hide their relationship. They didn't know how much time they had left, if they'd survive this task, and they didn't want to spend any more time effectively apart. Hermione had volunteered to tell the others. But when the time had come to tell them, she'd panicked and failed.

"Then what is it?" he asked, and the pain in his voice drew her eyes open again. "Why are you afraid?"

"I was afraid that if I told them - " she scooted up a little and pressed closer to him, slipping her hands from his cheeks to his shoulders and gripping them tightly. "If I told them, then we would _lose_ something." She leaned back so he could see her face. "Right now, it's just us. When we're together, it's just us. I can forget that we're searching for these bloody Horcruxes. I can forget that so many of our friends are dead, that we're hungry and dirty and there's no end to this bloody journey in sight. And instead, I can just look at you, and for the moments where we're together, the rest of this miserable world fades away." Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. "I was afraid if I told them, then our relationship would blend into all the awfulness in the rest of our lives." She sniffled once. "I don't want to lose this little bit of magic that we've made."

"Did you ever think - " he swallowed heavily and released her side to brush some hair behind her ear. "Did you ever think that telling the others might mean our little bubble would just get bigger?" His voice was gruff. "If they know, then it can be us all the time. Not just in stolen moments at night." He sighed again. "We could be us at meals when all I want to do is lean my shoulder against yours and tuck some hair behind your ear." He reached up and brushed a strand of hair back, and she leaned her cheek into his fingers. "Or, when we travel, and we're trudging through cold forests and fields, I could hold your hand, and it would be so much more bearable." He pulled her arm from his waist and laced their fingers together. "I wouldn't have to pretend I needed to ask you a question in order to be near you." He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "I wouldn't have to pretend not to watch you. I could just walk up to you and kiss you whenever I wanted. We could just be."

Tears dripped down her cheeks, and she tucked her face into his neck. He released her hand to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

"You're right," she whispered, her lips brushing the skin of his neck. "I'm just so scared of losing this. Of losing _you_." She kissed his neck again. "I can't lose you."

He chuckled and rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. "You could never lose me," he said, kissing her tangled curls.

"I love you," she breathed against his neck, and his grip on her tightened. "I love you and only you."

"And I love you. And only you," he said into her hair, placing kiss after kiss there. After a long moment, he sighed and said, "Theo and Potter will be back soon, though. Your cot awaits."

She took a deep breath. The thought of risking the one bright spot in her life set her heart to racing. If the others knew, they would be exposed, which was dangerous. But what Draco had suggested was so tempting - to be able to be happy and in love all the time instead of just sometimes - she had to see where that path took them. "You're serious about telling them?" she asked, kissing the smooth skin of his neck again.

"Yes," he breathed, breath hitching as her lips brushed his pulse point.

"Then I think I'll just stay here." She kissed that tender spot again, and he shifted beside her.

"You're not afraid?" His fingers dug gently into her back and drifted lower to cup her bum and pull her toward him.

"Of course, I am." She kissed the underside of his jaw and shifted closer to him, draping her leg of his. "But I'm also tired of not holding your hand. Of not being able to be with you. To kiss you" She kissed the corner of his mouth.

Draco smiled as he held her beneath their thin blanket. They were wrapped together, legs and arms intertwined. Without having to worry about being caught, Hermione felt calm spread throughout her body. Her muscles relaxed as she shifted against him, his body molding to hers like two pieces of soft clay. She could feel his breaths, his heartbeat, the gently movements of his body, and knew he could feel hers.

Wrapped together, safe and warm, they fell asleep quickly for the first time since they'd left on this journey.

They didn't hear Harry and Theo enter the tent a little while later, or hear them exit again, followed by soft laughter.

* * *

In the morning, Hermione woke smiling as she registered the warm weight of her wizard wrapped around her. The sun was rising, shining through the magically fortified burlap of their tent and the air was crisp, but in his arms, she felt warm and content.

Outside, she could hear the sounds of breakfast being made over a small fire. The others were whispering - probably about Hermione being in Draco's bed - and she dreaded going out to face them. Not because she was ashamed - she wasn't - but because she didn't want to deal with the questions, the accusations, the stress. She just wanted to stay in this bed, with this man, for as long as she could.

Slowly, she turned so that she was facing him. He was still asleep, his shaggy white blonde hair falling over his face in a way that made him look like a small child and nearly broke her heart. Even at eleven, he'd looked like he carried the weight of someone much older. This was the only time he ever looked young, and she cherished these moments.

She thought back on the day he'd come to her during sixth year. He'd been thin then, too, much like he was now. His eyes had been wild when he'd found her. She'd drawn her wand when he cornered her in an empty classroom after dinner one evening, expecting the worst.

* * *

_The door slammed and Malfoy spun, eyes wild, hair askew. Hermione lifted her wand and set her jaw, absolutely terrified._

_"Granger," Malfoy said, his voice cracking as he met her eyes. "I need your help."_

_Hermione's wand faltered. "What?"_

_He took a shuddering breath. "I need your help." A tear fell from his eye, and she saw that he held no wand. He held his hands toward her, palms up as if in supplication, shaking._

_Hermione pocketed her wand, crossed to him, and took his hands in hers. They were icy cold and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to warm them. __She squeezed his hands and said, "Tell me what you need."_

* * *

She'd taken him to Dumbledore an hour later, guiding him by the hand, not letting go as he spoke. His hands shook the entire time. He'd told Dumbledore he'd been tasked with killing him. He'd been tasked with letting Death Eaters in the castle. He'd been told he would take the Dark Mark during the coming summer holiday.

With tears dripping down his gaunt face, Draco Malfoy had told Dumbledore that he wanted out, that he wanted to join the Order, and Dumbledore had agreed to help him.

Hermione had stuck with him after that. She'd made sure Ron and Harry had understood, had accepted him. They hadn't wanted to at first, but Hermione Granger was not a witch who gave in easily, and she won them over after some time. And when he'd brought Theo and Pansy to them for sanctuary like they'd given him, Hermione had made sure they were included as well. It had been rocky - an understatement - at first, but they were a unit now. A family. And when they left to find the Horcruxes in summer, Hermione had insisted they all go together. She refused to go without Draco, but even the thought of leaving Pansy and Theo behind left her feeling panicked. So they'd all gone together.

Draco had become her friend quickly, but somewhere along the way - between DA meetings and the smaller planning sessions between just the six of them - she'd fallen in love with him. The night he'd kissed her for the first time was the clearest memory she had, and on her darkest days, she brought it into her mind and held onto it like a lifeline.

* * *

_"We'll meet again tomorrow," Harry said as he packed up his enchanted parchment and tucked it into a magically expanded pocket in his cloak. "Remember, no talking about this the common rooms."_

_"We aren't daft, Potter," Theo said, smirking as he brushed his hair off his forehead. "We weren't put in Slytherin for being blabbermouths."_

_"Still," Harry said, quirking an eyebrow at the sandy-haired Slytherin. "Ron, Hermione, ready to go?"_

_"I have rounds," Hermione said with a sigh. "I'll be up shortly."_

_"I'll join you," Draco had said, straightening his tie and his robes in a way that only Draco Malfoy could. "We'll save time by doing rounds together."_

_"Hermione," Ron said, pulling her aside as Draco gathered his bag. "Do you need me to come?" He shot a wary glance at Draco._

_Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, Ronald. I'll see you later." She gently pulled away from his grip. He looked irritated but didn't say anything as Hermione joined Draco, who was watching them with an overly neutral expression. "Ready?" She met his gaze._

_Draco nodded once and they left the Room of Requirement walking briskly side-by-side._

_"How are things going with Weasley?" he asked, breaking the silence a moment later, his voice quiet._

_"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, eyes going wide. They'd become friends but never had they ventured in to talk about things like this. Personal things. Private things._

_"You're together, aren't you?" Draco avoided her gaze as he walked, his shoulders tense. _

_"What? Oh. No." Hermione blushed. "For a while, I thought we would be, but nothing ever happened."_

_"Why not?" he asked, his voice tight. _

_"It just never felt right, I guess." She sniffed, unhappy with her own answer. It felt false because it was. There were other reasons why things never moved forward with Ron, but she wasn't sure she wanted to share those things - especially with Draco Malfoy, as the real answer directly involved him._

_"Do you love him?" Draco asked abruptly, his voice gruff._

_Hermione was silent for a long moment. Finally, she slowed to a stop near a large, moonlight-filled window, and looked up at him. __"Why are you asking me all this?" she asked, her heart pounding. _

_"Why are you avoiding the question?" he shot back, his jaw set, eyebrows furrowed._

_Hermione sighed, mouth suddenly dry. "Do I love Ron? Of course, I do. He's one of my closest friends." She took a deep breath. "Am I **in** love with him?" She paused. "No. At least, not anymore. I think I was at one point, but my feelings - well, they changed." She swallowed heavily. "I think maybe I have feelings for someone else, instead."_

_Draco took a deep breath as he nodded, his tense jaw loosening._

_"Why are you asking me these questions?" Hermione repeated, her voice quieter than she'd meant for it to be. _

_Draco lifted his gaze and her breath caught in her throat. __With deliberate movements, he set his bag down and closed the gap between them, his muscles coiled like an animal ready to bolt. When Hermione did nothing more than look up at him, eyes wide, lips parted, he moved. Carefully, slowly, he cupped her cheek in his hand. His fingers were warm, so unlike that first time she'd taken his hands in hers. He moved so slowly she was afraid this was all a dream, but over the course of many heartbeats, he leaned down and pressed his lips - warm and soft and full - to hers._

_It lasted only a single, beautiful moment, and then he pulled away, his expression painfully open._

_Hermione stared at him for a long moment before a smile crept onto her face, following by a pleasant blush. With confidence she'd never before felt, she took his hand and laced their fingers together. He exhaled heavily as if he'd been holding his breath and a matching smile graced his features._

_"Let's finish rounds," she said, and he nodded, his hair falling in front of his face as he squeezed fingers gently._

* * *

After that, without really talking about it, they'd simply been _them. _Together, but not. They ignored each other during the day, but at night, in DA meetings, in planning sessions, they were friends. And on patrol, on the few nights where they each had time to meet alone in Room of Requirement, they could explore what it was to be together.

Watching him sleep now, hair in front of his face and moving with each breath, calmed her. With each of his exhales, her anxiety about what the others would say, how the knowledge of them would change, what faced them now that they weren't hiding, dissipated.

As if finally sensing her gaze, his soft grey eyes blinked open. He immediately smiled and buried his face in the crook of her neck, more at ease than she'd ever seen him. She couldn't help but laugh quietly. In all their time together, they'd only slept in the same bed a handful of times. A few stolen moments in the Room of Requirement before they left on this hunt after Draco went to Dumbledore asking for sanctuary. Once on the road, when Hermione and Draco had been on a supply run and had had to camp on their own when a band of Death Eaters was in the area, and it was too dangerous to head back to the main camp. Being together now, like a normal couple, was like a missing piece falling into place. Falling asleep and waking up beside him felt like coming home after a long, miserable day.

He nuzzled her neck a moment longer, then his movements against her became more insistent and she felt herself blush.

"We should go out there," she said as his lips found her neck in a way that made her stomach clench.

"They're not going anywhere," he mumbled into the soft skin before biting lightly.

This made her laugh, even as she squeezed her thighs together to try and alleviate some of the heat suddenly there. "Don't be afraid," she whispered as her lips brushed his ear, and he groaned and pressed his lower body into hers.

"Fear is not in my current emotional wheelhouse, Granger," he growled.

She felt the evidence of his current "emotional wheelhouse" as it were and blushed. It had been so long since they'd been able to _be _together. Since Hogwarts. She considered just making the others wait in order to enjoy these few blissful moments with him, but there was no way they wouldn't hear them, or worse, walk-in on them.

"Come on." She pressed her lips against his softly before pulling away. "The peanut gallery awaits."

He huffed and groaned and together they stood, Draco adjusting his trousers before slipping on his shoes. Hermione performed a teeth-cleaning charm on them both. Draco donned an over-sized black jumper with a few moth holes near the hem and Hermione followed suit with a less-warm, threadbare cardigan. Pansy still had her warmest jumper, but if she grew cold, she'd just lean against Draco. Now that everyone knew, that was an option, and the thought alone filled her with warmth.

Hermione looked at him, love rising up in her chest like a wave. Before her stood Draco Malfoy, heir to the House of Malfoy, member of the Sacred 28, and he was living in a tent, wearing threadbare clothes and barely scraping by, all to do the right thing instead of the wrong one - and to be with her.

"I love you," she said, kissing his cheek. "Are you ready?" she breathed.

He laced their fingers together. "After you." He smiled.

They stepped out of the tent, and the quiet conversation beside the fire stopped cold. Four sets of eyes met them in what Hermione was sure was the longest moment of Hermione's life.

And then, as if a spell had been broken, Harry laughed, Pansy rolled her eyes, and Ron started digging something out of his pocket.

"I told you, I _never_ lose," Theo said, taking the coins Ron handed him with a huff.

"You couldn't have waited another week?" Ron asked them both, pouting.

Hermione was staring at them, heart in her throat. "What?" She looked between her four friends. "You knew? All of you?" Draco squeezed her hand.

"You're not the most subtle of people," Pansy said with a very Slytherin smirk. "With all the longing glares and whispers all the time."

"How long have you know?" Draco asked. Hermione glanced up at him and saw that he was just as shocked as she was, which left her feeling a bit better.

"Before we left," Harry said, pouring coffee from the fire into a mug. "I was sure you'd tell us before we left," he said with a sigh. "I had galleons riding on it."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Hermione asked, head swimming.

"Why didn't _you?_" Harry countered before he took a sip of his black coffee.

There was a long, pregnant pause where only the sound of the fire crackling filled the air.

And then, Draco said, "Well - " he let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into his warmth. "What's for breakfast, then?"

"Pansy cooked, so you know it's rubbish," Ron said, earning him a sharp jab in the ribs from the brunette. He laughed and held up his hands in surrender. "I suppose the eggs aren't half-bad, though." Pansy stuck out her tongue at him, but they were both smiling. Ron then handed Pansy a plate with food on it and she rolled her eyes. On the other side of the fire, Harry went to sit and Theo scooted over to make room for him.

From their vantage in front of the tent, the couple watched, Hermione's heart swelling as she realized Draco had been right.

"See?" Draco said, leaning down to whisper in her ear as they watched the others. "Our bubble just got bigger."

Hermione smiled and leaned up to kiss him, reveling in this new, sweet freedom.

From the fire, Ron called out, "Oy! Do we really have to see that all the time now?" Which earned him yet another jab in the ribs from Pansy's long fingers.

With a smile on her face, Hermione turned to face him, her heart light. "Yes." She turned back to Draco and kissed him again, softly, his arms going around her waist. He grinned against her lips.

She pulled away and retook his hand in hers. Together, they joined the others for breakfast on a log-seat left open just for them. Ron mimed a gag into his breakfast and Pansy threatened to knock his coffee over. Theo counted his few coins in an exaggerated way, enjoying his victory, at least until Harry stole one coin and replaced it with a cup of coffee and a very sweet, "Shut it, Nott."

And all the while, Hermione sat with her head on Draco's shoulder as they quietly ate their meager breakfast, watching their friends, joy in her heart.

And even though there were still more Horcruxes to find, still many days, many weeks, of travel ahead, the whole company felt a bit lighter.


End file.
